Dimitri Payet is not the first footballer to sulk and allegedly go on strike, he won't be the last – and West Ham should get rid of him.

It's best for all parties if the Hammers sell Payet now and, in hindsight, maybe they should have sold him in the summer after his star turns for France at Euro 2016.

Even if they flog him this month, I don't think West Ham will go down.

That run of 10 points from four games either side of Christmas should insulate manager Slaven Bilic against relegation.

But West Ham's recruitment in the last transfer window was a disaster, the move to a new stadium so far has been a public relations disaster and too many performances on the pitch have been a disaster.

Payet looks dejected (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

Dimitri Payet mural (Image: West Ham United via Getty)

Now they are going to lose their brightest star – because when a player says he doesn't want to turn out for you any more, it's time for him and the club to go their separate ways.

I should know, because 12 years ago I downed tools at Birmingham City to engineer a move to Blackburn.

I got my wish in the end – and if West Ham fans are in any doubt about how the Payet saga will end, Birmingham's owners in 2005 were current Hammers chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan.

Slaven Bilic press conference (Image: West Ham United FC via Getty)

Savage left Birmingham for Blackburn (Image: Getty)

Savage joined Blackburn but he regrets the way he went about it (Image: Daily Mirror)

I even went over the head of my manager, Steve Bruce, and phoned Mr Sullivan personally, which was something a player should never have done. I was so desperate I even threatened to drive to his house and park my car in his drive to force through the move I wanted.

When I look back at the way I conducted myself then, I have to admit it: I was a disgrace.

I was made to train with the kids, and when I turned out for the reserves at Solihull in front of a record crowd, I was humiliated by fans who accused me of letting them down just after signing a four-year contract.

My house was attacked and in the dressing room there was plenty of stick flying my way: not nasty, not hostile, just sarcastic and edgy.

Like Payet, I played the homesickness card. I said I wanted to move closer to my parents, even though Blackburn is further from Wrexham than Birmingham.

But when all was said and done, I got my move – while Gold and Sullivan made a three-fold profit on the fee they paid for me.

West Ham's co-owners David Gold (L) and David Sullivan (Image: AFP/Getty)

Payet chats to Bilic during training (Image: Avril Husband)

Let's get real: Payet has probably been tapped up. It happens all the time in football. I was once tapped up by two managers at the same time – one on the mobile and another on the landline at home.

And if he had left in the summer, he could have remained a hero: Too hot to handle, too big for West Ham when European giants started flashing their chequebooks.

But now he is being vilified and crucified by West Ham fans. Luckily for me, social media hadn't come to the fore in 2002 because I'm not sure I could have handled the abuse, but West Ham supporters feel betrayed and I don't see any way back for him.

There have been a few cases of high-profile players wanting to leave their clubs but forcing their way back into the supporters' affections.

Payet was sensational at Euro 2016 (Image: Getty)

Payet with his Hammer of the Year award (Image: West Ham via Getty)

At one stage, Wayne Rooney looked as if he was on the way out at Manchester United towards the end of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, and men in balaclavas even turned up outside his home, but he is still part of the furniture at Old Trafford.

But those cases are exceptions to the general rule: If a player wants out, get rid – because the presence of a brooding, sulking influence in the dressing room can only drag a club down.

Is Payet in the wrong? Well, if he wants to leave the London Stadium, I don't think he has gone about it the right way. Like I said, I should know because I've been there, worn the T-shirt and got hammered for it.

Dimitri Payet in action (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

I downed tools and it got to the point where I was told to stay away from the training ground – but at least I was always available to play if needed.

I've read comments from Hammers fans saying Payet should rot in the reserves because he only signed a five-year contract 12 months ago, but if West Ham went down that road, they would be cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Get real, get rid – and make sure the £30 million-plus fee, which is not bad for a player who will be 30 in March, is spent much more wisely.

Yes, I was a disgrace – but the bottom line is that by forcing a move, I enjoyed my highest Premier League finish, played in Europe for Blackburn... and I made more money.